Related Articles

"He chose quite often to do it in front of others. I saw it myself three or four times, which wasn't overly pleasant."

Former Labor powerbroker Graham Richardson said there were times Kerry would upbraid James in front of people. (A Current Affair)

However, journalist Damon Kitney said James believed his father's conduct was not always intentional.

Kitney, a friend of James Packer, interviewed the billionaire along with many other subjects for a biography, The Price of Fortune – The Untold Story of Being James Packer.

"I do think there were probably times in James's life when Kerry was too hard on James," he said.

"But I think sometimes – and James makes this point himself – Kerry probably didn't realise the impact he was having on his son."

Author Damon Kitney said he thought James would be "comfortable" today. (A Current Affair)

The collapse of OneTel, a telecommunications company that James had backed in the late 1990s, also infuriated Kerry.

"It was just that that terrible time where I guess Kerry felt maybe let down – I mean, that's my words, not James's – by what happened with OneTel," Kitney said.

Social analyst David Chalke said James's instinct to diversify through telecommunications had been the right thing.

"In the case of OneTel, they'd obviously got it right, they got it into telecommunications early, they were pitching at the young market who were the early adopters and taking up on mobile phone technology," Mr Chalke said.

The failure of OneTel infuriated Kerry. (A Current Affair)

"The positioning was right, everything was right, there's just the day-to-day managing of the business. They just ran out of money, they blew the money through inept management."

After OneTel, James and his first wife, Johdi Meares, spent a lot of time in the US, becoming involved in Scientology.

James grew close to the religion's movie-star poster boy Tom Cruise – though the two have since drifted apart.

Packer would go on to count many celebrities as friends, including Hollywood legend Warren Beatty.

James Packer had been friends with actor Tom Cruise. (A Current Affair)

"I think the most important thing Warren did for James, and it's documented amazingly, is that he drove him to psychiatrist offices in LA when James was at his lowest point, when he was really hitting the booze hard," Kitney said.

James would go on to found the RatPac film company with close friend, director Brett Ratner.